We have been sending press releases to local newspapers regarding every student who enrolls, graduates, or earns honors/high honors. We have also increased the use of email marketing. We send alumni and future students electronic newsletters. Also, any special events, such as tours and open house are announced through press release and radio advertisements in some cases.

We have really made a concerted effort in the last year to make use of public realtions as a key aspect of our marketing strategy. Below are some of the highlights: 1. We conducted a "Family Fun Fair" to raise money for a charitable cause. We set up waterslides, bounce houses, "funny Boxing", kids games, food vendors, etc. We invited the public through announcements on radio stations and through emails to all old leads. Our students took part in the event as guests and our honor society ran many of the events. In addition we had a raffle and got thousands of dollars worth of raffle items to raise money for the charity (they actually conducted the raffle so we did not have to deal with the legalities). This got some good PR and got hundreds of people out to see our campus. 2. We do monthly newsletters which we send electronially to all of our employers and our alumni. 3. Our massage program is open to the public during certain classes. We promote this bringing dozens of people a month into campus. We also give out coupons for free massages when the opportunity arrises.

We have many ways of getting the word out to the community. We do send newsletters, periodic press releases, and news articles to industry related papers. At this point I do most of the public relations, but I am not formally in charge. It is in addition to my current duties. I think it would be great to come up with a calendar of when certain things should be sent or published so that our efforts could be more consistent and organized. I will probably try to do that in the next week or so, present it, and see what happens.

We send out quarterly newsletters that go to prospects, employers, and counselors. These newsletters are designed to inform everyone about the success of our students and the needs in the industry. We have monthly open houses that we put up on our website, TV commercials, and other advertising. We also send periodic articles and press releases to industry related publications. We send admissions representatives to career fairs as well.

Does anyone have any creative ideas for continuing contact with old leads?

What methods have others used to motivate when there is only one admissions rep?

How difficult is it to find an agency that will work with a limited budget? Do you get the attention and the resources that you need?

One of our main sources of leads is through My Florida.com. This is the main portal for all regulated and licensed activity in the State. Along with a listing of State Boards and Councils involved in regulation and licensing there is a listing of approved schools and continuing education providers for various professions. We find many students look here for requirements and credentialing needed for a given profession. Make sure you are listed.

we are a small school wih a very small advertising budget we get a small amount of media coverage such as nespaper and TV.their has been an increase.Iam going to focuss past student

I relied on memorization rather than used comprehension to get through quizz two. The reading material is so filled with specialized jargons; filled with insider speech, that someone unfamiliar with marketing (as I am) is totally at sea. I would like to hear from someone who has a thorough knowledge of this stuff . . . please explain, in common language, what it is I was to have learned form Module Two. I do not have the nerves to atempt to read Modules Three and Four. Thanks a million.

Hi. I did not get enough breadth nor depth from Module One . . . I am still in the dark about everything. I would like to hear about the marketing strategies employed by more seasoned directors . . . ideas that are more concrete, more helpful. I am quite uncomfortable about the degree of learning garnered form this expereince. Thanks for your help.

I'm interested in serving career changers. What is the most effective means of marketing to this sector? Will I have to spend more marketing to them than I would to an 18-24 year old market?

I've been in schools where the reps have elaborate means of displaying their successes. That is, rep numbers are put on display in the office area or reps "celebrate" their success by ringing a bell or doing something that gets everyone's attention. Do these methods work long term?

Does anyone have any 'tried and true' techniques for getting reps who have been underachieving back on track. Any thoughts about how long to work with underachievers before letting them go?

A school in our area has been using the same radio ad for 4-5 months. Is there a "limit" on the time you can use the same ad over and over without listeners tuning it out?

I have often found that results of old evaluations do not predict appropriately the results of new campaigns. We used to have great results with flyers, then one day, suddenly, it stopped. The same thing happened with different newspapers. If someone has an idea of how to follow this changes of the peoples response to different media, I would appreciate the feedback. Mary.

We have begun to seriously evaluate our marketing efforts over the past year. What we found is that we were spending $24,000 annually on means that provided no leads. Evaluation is sure to help reduce costs or allocate them to better areas.

Some bus stops have benches for commuters to sit while awaiting the bus. I often see advertisements on the backside of the benches. I'm sure this would be great en lieu of a billboard. I imagine it would also be more cost effective. Does anyone know how to use this form of advertisement?

I haven't found any replacment for making the first step in person. Going out to potential employers of our students and getting to know their needs as an employer not only helps provide feedback for having a well structured course, but in the more creative industries it requires a face and a name, rather than simply having a PR blurb being put out on the line. I sometimes fear as we grow as a school that it will be harder and harder to maintain the personal touch that has led to a great deal of success for our graduates. It's hard to stay personal and maintain the growth at the same time.

Our strongest advertising is positive word of mouth. We've tried to ensure that we keep this as active as possible. One way is to post examples of students work on our school's web site so that they will be able to benefit from showing it to other people (friends, family, possible employers) and we also know that this gets more people to discover our school and also see what our graduates are capable of producing. It's pretty much a win/win situation.